Becoming a Student / Private Sessions
Mountain Cloud (and the Sanbo Zen lineage) recognizes the value of working 1-1 with a teacher. If you have developed a stable daily meditation practice, it’s possible to work 1-1 with an authorized Sanbo Zen teacher for practice guidance or koan study.
Private sessions are offered to Members of Mountain Cloud. Membership is a special program offering designed for those who want to dive more deeply into practice (it is not a charitable membership), and includes special offerings like 1-1s with teachers, retreat discounts, and weekly and monthly workshops. Learn more about 1-1s below, or jump to our Membership page to learn more about that program.
Who are our teachers?
Mountain Cloud has 4 teachers on our teaching team. They are all authorized in Sanbo Zen, known for its rigorous teaching curriculum and the ongoing training of teachers (never done!). Learn more about them on the Our People page and check out their talks by searching their name in our Browse Teachings archive.
Associate Master Valerie Forstman (Mountain Cloud’s Guiding Teacher)
Teacher Scott Thornton
Teacher Carolyn Seburn
Assistant Teacher Shana Smith
What are 1-1s like?
1-1s are offering in-person (for Santa Feans) and online.
There are two main types of 1-1 sessions with a teacher. First is practice guidance which offers general support for your development and deepening of a meditation practice. Second is koan study which is a more formal path of working through an expansive curriculum of koans. Koan study as done in the Sanbo lineage, is not an intellectual pursuit, but rather a way of practicing, and is not necessarily helpful for beginners. A conversation with a teacher will help you discern what type of 1-1 session is right for you.
1-1s involve a private meeting (online or in person) with a teacher in which you share about your practice and receive direct teaching. They are about 15 minutes long each (though a first meeting may be longer). 1-1s are confidential between you and your teacher and may look different for each student.
What are the requirements?
Each one’s path is unique, so we resist making too rigid a protocol, here. However, each center and lineage is unique, and it is important to (a) have a real commitment to practice, whether just beginning or decades in, and (b) feel an affinity for Mountain Cloud’s way. The following activities can help you discern your readiness and desire:
- Please attend enough sits and events to feel clearly that Mountain Cloud is a community where you’d like to practice. A few nice points of entry are:
- Introduction to Meditation classes in person on Sunday Mornings with Scott
- Sunday Morning Sit & Community Tea
- Morning Sit & “Tea and Toast” with Scott Mondays- Wednesdays
- Thursday evening Dharma Talks usually with Valerie Forstman
- We have some material that help frame and explain Mountain Cloud’s approach to zen practice and the Sanbo Zen lineage of which we are part. Check out these resources:
- Learn about the Sanbo Zen lineage
- Listen and watch these introductory talks (podcasts and videos)
- Read the Guidelines for Members.
- Read some of our recommended books:
- Zen: the Authentic Gate, Yamada Koun
- Three Pillars of Zen, Philip Kapleau
- Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, Shunryu Suzuki
- Mindfulness in Plain English, Bhante Gunaratana
- Become a member of Mountain Cloud. Find more details and a signup form on our membership page.
